Five team needs for the Miami Dolphins

MIAMI DOLPHINS-NFL DRAFT

The Miami Dolphins have been quiet in free agency

March 23, 2012|By Omar Kelly, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

MIAMI — Free agency came and went and the Miami Dolphins still have plenty of holes to fill, and positions General Manager Jeff Ireland must address in April's NFL draft. Here's a breakdown on the team's top five needs heading into the 2012 draft:

Pressure players: Jason Taylor's retirement means the Dolphins are back to squad one. Or, better yet, one true pass rusher in Cameron Wake. Even though Jamaal Westerman was signed as a free agent, Wake's the only proven, polished pass rusher on the roster. No matter what scheme the Dolphins favor, the defense needs to add a defensive ends and/or outside linebackers who can get after the quarterback. The Dolphins prefer pass rushers with more than one year of production at a major university. The elite pressure players will be selected in the first three rounds of the draft. Players like North Carolina's Quinton Coples, South Carolina's Melvin Ingram, USC's Nick Perry, Illinois' Whitney Mercilus, Syracuse's Chandler Jones and Marshall's Vinny Curry are the best young quarterback hunters available. Most, if not all of those players will be gone by the time the third-round starts.

Quarterback: David Garrard, who the Dolphins signed to a one-year deal that will pay him $3.35 million before incentives, has had a productive 10-year NFL career. But considering his age (34) and injury history, Garrard is not a long-term solution for the Dolphins. Hard to imagine Matt Moore is either despite his productive season in 2011, where he produced a 87.1 quarterback rating, and finished the season with a 6-3 record. Moore's also entering the final year of his deal. The Dolphins will likely use an early draft pick to add someone worth developing as the future of Miami's new west coast offense. Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill (great feet), Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden (quick release, but old), Michigan State's Kirk Cousins (intangibles off the chart) and Arizona State's Brock Osweiler (super tall and deceptively athletic) are the best of this draft's second-tier options.

Wide receiver: By trading Brandon Marshall to Chicago for two third-round picks the Dolphins got rid of the team's top target. All that's left now is a bunch of solid, but not sexy receivers like Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and Clyde Gates. It would be ideal if the Dolphins added playmakers with some size and speed. Considering Miami hasn't signed any receivers in free agency it's likely that the new staff will target a few in the draft's early rounds. Green Bay's Jordy Nelson is the blueprint of the type of receiver needed, and players like Rutgers Mohamed Sanu, Iowa's Marvin McNutt, Miami's Tommy Streeter, Wake Forest's Chris Givens, Arkansas' Joe Adams and Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles fit the mold. This is one of the deepest receiver drafts in a decade so the Dolphins can afford to wait on addressing the position.

Offensive line: The Dolphins are fortified on the left side with Jake Long, Richie Incognito and center Mike Pouncey, but the right side is vacant of proven, polished starters. Lydon Murtha, Nate Garner, John Jerry and Artis Hicks, who was signed last week, are solid options as viable starters on the right side. But the Dolphins are looking for leaner, more athletic offensive linemen than the past regime. Using yet another first-round pick on an offensive lineman is unrealistic considering right tackles and right guards aren't hard to find, or priority positions. It should help that new head coach Philbin and offensive coordinator Mike Sherman are both former offensive line coaches. But then again, so was Tony Sparano, and he never got the unit right in his four seasons.

Safety: Cutting strong safety Yeremiah Bell means the secondary lost its leader, and the team lost its leading tackler. Reshad Jones might be able to fill the void Bell's possible departure creates, but who will man the free safety spot if he moves over? Chris Clemons and Tyrone Culver have each started games the past two seasons, but neither showed the playmaking instincts the Dolphins crave for the position. There are a couple of decent safeties (former Jets strong safety Jim Leonhard, former Redskins free safety O.J. Atogwe, Titans strong safety Chris Hope, Tampa Bay's Corey Lynch) still available in free agency, but it is possible the Dolphins could address the position in the draft. The only safeties expected to be drafted early are Alabama's Mark Barron (late-first or second round), Notre Dame's Harrison Smith (second or third-round) and Boise State's George Iloka (second through fourth round).